Picking Up the Pieces
by Lonely Angel of Fire
Summary: The Plan was good- until a miscalculation causes everything to go horribly wrong, of course. So now, Ed, Al and Winry are stuck too far in the past, no where near their target date. With no ideas of how to fix their future. Manga-verse, AU
1. Chapter 1

Picking up the Pieces

Summary: The Plan was good- until a miscalculation causes everything to go horribly wrong, of course. So now, Ed, Al and Winry are stuck too far in the past, no where near their target date. With no ideas of how to fix their future. Manga-verse, AU, Edwin, Royai in later chapters.

Well, this shall be fun :) Somehow some idea got into my head along the lines of 'what if father won?' So there are/will be major spoilers for the manga. So, enjoy, and please review!

* * *

Prologue - Last Ones Left

Ed crouched low on the ground, unmoving, listening closely for any other signs of life. He had his back to a long ruined wall of a building, which was honestly very unlikely that it would protect him if the enemy decided to attack. There were no buildings left standing in the place that was once Central city, except for the military HQ, which the homunculi used as a base of operations. Ed shivered, bringing the old blanket around him more tightly, in hopes that it might keep him warmer in the late February air.

It had been three years now. Three years since Father activated the country-wide transmutation circle. And well, everything went downhill from there. Everyone who wasn't on the homunculi's side was slaughtered. The countries surrounding Amestris had been overrun- and possibly more of them. Ed knew for a fact that after Canas' soldiers - Canas was a large country overseas, to the west- Father planned to destroy that country as well. Ed could bet that he, Al, and Winry were the only ones left. Everything that had happened- Ed dearly wished that he could go back and try again, but the truth always stung. He could not- that was a fact of life. Once something is done, there wasn't away to go back and redo it.

Ed stood up, brushing his long, un-kept hair behind him. He hadn't kept it in a braid or ponytail for a long time- nor had it been cut in the past three years, or brushed properly. Only Winry finger-brushed her hair slightly, apparently having it as a rats-nest annoyed her. Ed clapped his hands, cringing at the way his auto-mail moved roughly. It had been broken many times, and Winry could only do a repair to keep it working, but not very well. He touched the ground beneath his feet, the dirt moving to the side, revealing a staircase. Ed gave a breath of relief. There were days that he could not go back inside because Father would block alchemy- though he could not do it constantly- and neither Ed or Al would be unable to get back inside. Ed walked down the staircase, quickly closing the entrance again once he was down low enough, leaving him shrouded in darkness. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and as he made his way down, he saw a dim light- most likely from the lamp that they kept on, or one of the occasional fires.

Ed walked out into the open room, where Winry was asleep on the table, her clothes stained with dirt and blood- which wasn't hers, most likely it was Ed's. Al was deeply into an alchemy book, obviously having trouble seeing in the dim light. His hair looked a lot like Ed's, though slightly shorter. He had the least injuries out of the three- Ed having the most- but he was the thinnest and weakest, because of his time in the gate.

"…Brother…" Al said, looking up, "This book says it's possible to do alchemy- and travel through time. It's a bit iffy, but I'm sure we could come up with a way for it to work."

"Time travel?" Ed muttered, "Somehow I doubt that would ever work… but…"

"If we could stop this from happening then… everybody… would be okay." Al persisted.

"Al-"

"I've checked the equations a hundred times! It _will_ work!" Al exclaimed.

"Well- Wait, you checked the equations?"

"I even tried it on something small, and it worked."

Ed glared off to the side, "Well I guess our choices are die, eventually starve, die, or a chance to go back and fix everything…"

"Difficult choice, Brother?" Al said sarcastically.

"Ugh… Why are you talking so loud?" Winry mumbled, sitting up, obviously still half-asleep and rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry…" Al replied, sending her an apologetic glance.

"What are you talking about anyway? 'Go back and fix everything'?"

"Al thinks he can make it so that we go back in time." Ed stated.

"Go back-?" Winry said quietly, as if she was currently in a dream.

Al nodded. "But only if-"

"What are you waiting for?! If we have a chance to help everyone again, let's take it!" Winry exclaimed, jumping up.

Ed looked grim, nobody saying anything for what felt like an hour, before Ed sighed. "… Looks like we're doing it, then."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - First Nights in a Falling Haven

He could smell grass. Trees. He could hear birds, and the faint sound of a cat's meow.

Most importantly… he could hear people. Ed couldn't help but smile as he opened his eyes, to find himself in a small gathering of trees he recognized were on the edge of East City. He looked around, relieved to see Winry laying beside him, and Al further away, getting up himself.

"It worked." Ed said.

"Yeah." Al replied quietly.

"You're a genius, Al." Ed smiled at his brother. He was proud of him.

Al shakily stood up, leaning against a tree for support. "… We should get going. We have enough money for a hotel, don't we?"

Ed nodded. Winry sat up, rubbing her head and muttering something about 'time-travel being the most uncomfortable way to travel'.

Ed stood up, gaining his balance quickly and helping Winry stand up as well. "We won't be able to stay long. We hardly have any money. The date should be May 21, 1915, right Al?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, if everything turned out the way it should be. Everything seems fine though. None of us are missing any limbs or anything. But I can imagine missing the target date by a bit." Al replied.

"Let's just find a hotel and rest." Ed sighed, "We get to lie in a bed. It's been three years and I'm finally gonna be able to sleep in a bed. Or on a couch, if there's only two beds."

"You could always share a bed with Winry," Al said.

Ed glared at his brother, "I guess…"

"Let's go, you two," Winry interrupted, dragging Ed out of the bushes and into the open. They were, as Ed predicted, at the western edge of East city, and were now in a back alley in between two buildings. Al quickly followed them, and the group then proceeded out onto the sidewalk, where they ran to the most decent looking inn that was nearby. Ed dug out the wallet that he had shoved in the bag he had brought with him- which had barely anything in it- and requested a room, using an alias. He grabbed the key quickly, and the three made their way to their room. There were only two beds, but there was also a couch. The room wasn't the best, but Ed couldn't help but marvel at how comfy the couch and beds were (though if he had stayed at that hotel several years ago, he would've complained how uncomfortable they were, and how dirty looking the bathroom was) and he wanted to just fall asleep right then and there.

"… Brother, what are we going to do?" Al asked, staring at Ed, who was lying face-down on the couch.

Ed turned his head to look at Al, his gaze unmoving, except when Winry left and disappeared into the washroom. "We need aliases. I told the guy downstairs that I was Edmund Heidrich, you were my brother and Winry was my wife."

"Then we'll stick with that, just in case," Al said. "So…"

"We've just escaped a town in northern Aerugo and fled to Amestris hoping to find jobs here." Ed said. He sat up and crossed his arms. "We can just dye our hair to look more Aerugoian."

"Why Aerugo?" Al asked.

"Well, I thought it'd be better than Drachma or Creta, and Xing is out of the question so…" Ed shrugged, "Why not?"

"Well, I guess it's true that Amestris isn't on very good terms with other countries…" Al said quietly.

Winry came out of the washroom and sat beside Ed. "So what are we doing?"

"Well, we should get jobs," Ed pointed out. "I was planning on joining the military. Might as well 'hide in plain sight', right? It'll also be the easiest way to get information."

"I'll look for a job in auto-mail," Winry said. "Speaking of auto-mail, since we are no longer living in fear of our lives, I'd better check up on yours."

"Right," Ed replied, taking his shirt off, wincing as it slid off. He had bloodied bandages around his stomach, and a rather nasty cut on his left shoulder.

"Maybe we should get you to a hospital…" Al said, grimacing when Ed rolled his pant-legs up.

"Yeah, that go over well. I'd have explain how I got stabbed with a giant rock, and who shooting at me. There's also the fact that we can't afford the medical bills right now." Ed replied.

"I also need to remake your auto-mail completely. It's beyond repair now." Winry exclaimed, "Can you still use it even though you've gown so much?"

"Somewhat. I'll be fine for now," Ed replied, quickly putting his shirt back on.

"Brother-!" Al exclaimed.

"You're the one who should be in the hospital, you're still malnourished!" Ed exclaimed.

"So are you!"

"Well, you're worse off then me-!" Ed stopped abruptly when Winry started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"I-I never thought… that I'd ever see you two fight like this again. I mean back _there_ you guys fought but… I know that if one of you run off, you probably won't get attacked by a homunculus." Winry said, smiling sadly. "It's gonna take awhile for the whole 'not live in fear' thing to set in, won't it?"

"Yeah," Ed wrapped an arm around Winry. "It'll take some time, but everything will be alright. I promise."

--

"Alright, Sara, I know I look different with black hair, but you-"

"Edw-Edmund, I'm just getting used to the fact that I'm your _wife _now."

"Brother, Win- ah, Sara- please don't fight. Could you help me with my hair, one of you?"

"Sure, how short do you want it, Aron?" Sara asked, picking up a pair of scissors from the coffee table.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno. I guess just the way I had when I was young-"

Ed-now Edmund Heidrich, with black hair- interrupted his younger brother, "I don't see why you're letting Sara near you with those scissors."

Aron sighed, "Well, you're not very good at cutting hair either, brother."

"… I was five, Al!" Ed exclaimed.

"Aron."

Ed sent Aron a glare and opened the hotel room door, picking up the newspaper. He closed the door, gasping when he saw the date. "Hey uh, Aron. We were supposed to come in 1915, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Aron asked, Winry snipping off a piece of his hair before looking up at Ed.

"Because it's July 14, _1911!_" Ed said, holding up the newspaper.

"…well, at least we have more time to sort things out," Aron said, shrugging, "At least we didn't arrive after the target date."

"True. But I haven't even joined the military yet." Ed said, looking at the newspaper again.

"Ed, why don't you go apply for that job in the military you wanted?" Sara suggested, "This might take awhile."

Aron blushed, "Sorry, I should've taken better care of my hair…"

"It's not your fault. It's Ed's."

"…Hey!" Ed exclaimed, transmuting his old jacket -which was ripped covered in dirt, blood, and probably other things- so that it was in better shape. Though it was still much to small. "I'm buying some material for clothes. Any particular colour?"

"Nah." Sara said, running a brush through Aron's long hair again. Aron shook his head.

"Okay. I'm off, then." Ed walked out, closing the door carefully so that it didn't slam behind him.

* * *

**Edit: fixed a mistake - 1011 should've been 1911. **

There was supposed to be another scene here, but it was either a random conversation between 'Sara' and 'Aron' or Ed suceeding in getting training in the military, which would've been boring to read since nothing actually happens. Anyway, the future Winry will be called Sara and future Al will be called Aron from now on. Ed just stays as Ed- His past self will be referred to as Edward. The next chapter should be up soon! And please review!  
-Oh, and shinespire, thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you find the story interesting!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 - Finding Ground

"Heidrich! Stop slacking off and run faster!"

"Yes sir!" Ed felt sorry for the guys behind him. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to stand out and the wound on his stomach, he would be running much faster. He wondered if Sara or Aron had found jobs yet. Sara would definitely get a job in the auto-mail business, of course. Ed ran faster, wanting to finish and go see how the two of them were doing. They did have the money to buy a house, but they also needed food, clothes, and furniture. They also couldn't stay at that hotel much longer… They had already stayed there a week, and they were starting to get weird looks from the hotel staff.

Ed finished his laps, stopping to catch his breath. He looked over at the drill sergeant, who hadn't noticed that he had stopped. Ed was about to walk off, only to look back again when something caught his eye. Or someone. Off to the side, was Roy Mustang, who was staring over at Ed intently. Ed huffed, he wasn't that interesting. When he was younger, yes, but now? No. Ed decided to ignore him and went to go grab a bottle of water from the cooler.

"Hey!" Ed heard Mustang yell. He ignored it. Mustang couldn't be talking to him- "You, with the black hair!"

Ed swore under his breath, but turned around and raised his hand in salute. "Yes sir?"

Mustang was now standing in front of him. "Are you alright?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, lowering his hand. "I'm fine. Is something wrong… sir?"

"You're bleeding."

"Wha-?" Ed looked at himself. He was bleeding. The wound on his abdomen had opened up and now his uniform was soaked in blood in that area. "Oh."

"Maybe you should go to a doc-"

"I'll be fine," Ed said, faking a smile, "It's really just a small cut! I'll go put on a bandage right now-"

Mustang scowled, obviously not believing Ed. He grabbed Ed's arm, and dragged him towards HQ. "Let me help you, then."

--

"Sir?"

"Yes Hawkeye?"

"Who is this?"

Mustang currently bandaging up Ed, having dragged the young man to his office and pulled out a first aid kit. Ed was scowling, though he had let the colonel help him… after the man ordered him too.

"I'm not sure. What's your name kid?" Mustang asked.

"Edmund Heidrich."

Mustang nodded. "By the way, this was more of a battle wound. Not a 'small cut'."

"W-well… I'm fine, anyway." Ed stood up, "I ought to go- I don't want to get kicked out because I left suddenly."

"For a kid who was injured that badly, you were doing the exercises pretty well." Mustang smirked, waiting for Ed's reaction.

"I was trained by a harsh teacher. She wouldn't want me slacking off." Ed replied. He turned and left, walking quickly so that he wouldn't have to deal with Mustang anymore. He'd gotten the man killed once before- and he wasn't about to let himself do it again.

Back in the room, Mustang was trying to figure out the kid himself. He had left suddenly- which was odd for a new recruit, especially one who didn't want to be fired- along with his obvious dislike of Mustang- but also respect- that had come out of nowhere, for Mustang was sure he had never met the kid before.

"Odd." Mustang said aloud.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Hawkeye asked.

"That kid seemed different, didn't he?"

--

"Ed!" Ed was tackled as he opened the door to the hotel room by Sara, who was now hugging him tightly.

"Something good happen?" Ed asked, looking over at Aron, who smiled and shrugged.

"Sara got a job." Aron said.

"For the best auto-mail makers in Central!" Sara exclaimed, letting go of Ed.

"That's great! I guess we can go find a house soon then?" Ed said.

"Let's go now! It's not too late," Sara exclaimed, grabbing Ed's hand. "I don't want to stay in this hotel much longer."

"House hunting it is, I guess," Aron shrugged. He watched as Ed followed his wife out before following himself.

--

The house they had bought they could move into immediately, luckily. It had three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living room and basement (which Sara had claimed as her workshop). The price was surprisingly low- though prices had risen through the roof after the homunculi had taken over- so the three of them had no problem buying the place with the money that they had saved. Now all they had to do was buy furniture and pay for the water and electrical.

Sara and Aron had left to buy furniture and get it to the house while Ed sat on the floor, dealing with the lack of water and electricity in the place- and filling out the form to inform the military of his new residence.

"Now I know why Mustang always procrastinated on his paperwork," Ed muttered to himself, standing up to stretch. He looked over into the kitchen (the living room-where Ed was sitting- was connected to the kitchen/dining room) glad to know that they was already a fridge and stove there, thinking of running to the store for food. And some cooking utensils.

Packing up the papers, he locked the door and headed to the store, where he bought only what he could carry. Everything was fine, until he ran into Mustang.

"Hello there, sergeant Heidrich," Mustang said. He held up his basket of groceries. "Shopping for food as well?"

"Yeah, my wife, brother and I just moved into a house. We need something cook with and eat," Ed replied casually.

"So that's why they couldn't find you," Mustang said.

Ed raised his eyebrows, "Did they need me for something?"

Mustang smirked- somehow Ed missed it, and now he was wondering why- and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Ed. "I expect you won't be late, Heidrich!" Mustang walked off, leaving Ed confused. He unfolded the paper, only to scowl.

"So much for not standing out," Ed growled, making his way to the cashier.

* * *

I left it with a sort of cliffhanger, sorry. Next chapter will be more exciting. I get to explain the alchemy Aron used :D and other surprises. XD  
Reviews are greatly appreciated!  
And thank you to Ghosthp, shinespire, and Blue_rose for reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3 Good News and Bad News

The next day after receiving the note from Mustang, with the furniture moved in- which only included beds, a dinning table and chairs, and shelf- Ed finally told Sara and Aron about what had occurred… and got an unexpected reaction.

"You're working under colonel Mustang? That's great!" Aron exclaimed.

"How is that great? Now I have to deal with the bastard himself, along with mini-me when he joins!" Ed said.

"You just called yourself short. I never thought I'd see the day," Sara smirked. "But isn't it a good thing? They will be fighting the homunculi."

"I was hoping to do that without Father knowing. So much for that plan." Ed muttered.

Aron sighed. "Shouldn't you be going? It's almost nine."

Ed nodded, "Yeah, wish me luck."

--

Ed entered the familiar office, only to find it empty. He walked over to see if Mustang was in his office- nobody. Were they playing some kind of prank? If Hawkeye was there she wouldn't let them. He sighed and walked over to the empty desk, realizing something was off.

He heard someone whisper. Ed stood up, quickly making his way to the supply closet they had and opened the door. Havoc, Fuery, and Mustang tumbled out. Ed sighed, grabbing a couple pens before going back to his desk. "Next time, keep quiet and nobody will notice you."

Havoc chuckled, walking over to Ed. "You're sharp. I'm second lieutenant Jean Havoc, nice to meet you."

Ed turned to look up at Havoc from where he was sitting. "Sergeant Ed-Edmund Heidrich."

Fuery stood up, "I'm master sergeant Kain Fuery, I'm sorry about earlier. Havoc said he wanted to scare the new guy and got me to do it."

Mustang laughed, "So. Welcome to the group kid."

"I'm not a 'kid' you know." Ed said.

"Really? I couldn't tell," Mustang smirked.

Ed sent him glare. "So what am I doing today?"

All three replied, "Paperwork."

--

Ed managed to get home just after Aron, who was hanging up his jacket as Ed came in. "Rough day, Brother?"

"Yeah I 'met' my co-workers. Hawkeye hasn't tried to shoot me yet either." Ed said.

Aron chuckled, "I still haven't found a job…."

Ed looked over at his brother. He hadn't noticed before, but Aron looked exhausted. "You okay, Aron?"

Aron jerked around to look at Ed, smiling sheepishly. "Yep! I'm fine, why?"

"You don't look so well-" The door opened, Ed stopping to look at Sara, who just entered with a smile on her face.

"I have new auto-mail for you, Ed! It isn't the best, but it's better then what you have!" Sara said, walking inside and setting the suitcase she was carrying on the floor before opening it to reveal the new auto-mail. "I'll make you stronger, lighter auto-mail later when we have more money."

"That's good, right Brother?" Aron said, grinning. "I'll go make something for us to eat while you two do that." He turned and left, Ed watching him worriedly- he planned to ask him about it later.

After Ed's new auto-mail was attached, they went to eat what Aron had made, the young man saying that he had eaten before them before leaving to the library and bookstore nearby. Ed had believed him until he saw that none of the cutlery or plates had been used, other than his and Sara's. He thought for a moment before sneaking into Aron's room. He hated to do this, but he was worried- and Aron wouldn't tell him what was wrong, so it was obviously something Ed would get upset over. Ed went to look under the bed, pulling out a box of research notes. The one on top caught his eye.

'_If the right price is given, a person can go back in time as far as they wish. The payment must be paid for the ability to go back. It does not matter how little time you plan to go back or how many people- though the price does not need to be paid when moving a small object back in a short time. Sending something back also duplicates the object.'_

Ed picked up the paper, Aron had never said anything about the price- actually, he said that he had used… the gift from Hohenheim.

He looked down towards the bottom of the page and started reading. About a sentence in, he dropped the paper, and ran from the room. Sara looked up in surprise when Ed dashed out the front door, wondering what was wrong.

Ed ran to the library, Aron walking out, holding a pile of books. When he saw his brother, he looked up in surprise. Ed came to a stop in front of him, glaring.

"Is something wrong, Brother?" Aron asked.

"You _idiot!_" Ed shouted. Aron winced.

"You found out, didn't you?" Aron asked quietly.

"You gave up your _alchemy,_ Al! And-"

"I know. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal…" Aron replied, wincing each time Ed yelled.

"That's why you haven't been eating much or sleeping well, isn't it? You really… gave up part of your soul…" Ed grit his teeth, "What… were you thinking, Al?!"

"I'm sorry. I just want everyone to live the lives they deserved to have. It's not like I gave up my lifespan… or my life."

"You idiot."

"I know."

"You big i-idiot."

"… I know, brother."

--

"You okay there kid?" Havoc asked, looking at Ed who was falling asleep on his desk.

"Perfect," Ed replied sarcastically. "I jut had a bit of a late night 's all." In fact, after Ed and Aron had sorted things out- somewhat- they had gone back home and told Sara. Thus, it resulted in a long night of yelling.

"What, did your girlfriend dump you or something?" Havoc asked.

"I'm married." Ed said, sitting up and stretching.

"Hunh, you don't seem like you would be," Havoc muttered. Ed sent him a glare.

Mustang walked in suddenly, and threw a folder on Ed's desk. "You two see if you can find anything about this guy, I have to go meet with the Fuhrer." He left as suddenly as he came, leaving the door open behind him.

"Let's hope the others decide to come early, right Heidrich?" Havoc said, reading the name on the file.

Ed smirked. He'd had to help catch this guy sometime after he joined the military, and already knew where all the info was. "Doesn't seem to hard."

The next hour was spent hunting down the documents- Ed probably could've done it faster if he told Havoc where the files were, but he didn't want to risk looking suspicious. After it was done, Ed and Havoc took a break, Ed enjoying the peace until there was knock on the door, before Sara walked in a huge smile on her face.

"Sorry Ed for disturbing your work, but I couldn't wait to tell you-!" Sara exclaimed.

Havoc looked at Ed. "This your wife?"

Ed sat up straighter in his chair, nodding. "It's fine."

"Well, first off, I designed a brand new auto-mail for you!"

"Okay… You know we probably can't afford the materials and tools, right?" Ed pointed out.

"Don't worry about that." Sara's smile grew bigger. "I'm pregnant!"

* * *

It's done :) Did I surprise you guys at all? XD I loved writing that last scene so much X3  
Happy Holidays Everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, sorry for taking so long :) (Two months. Majority was due to computer troubles and the second scene in here, which I couldn't figure out how to write...)  
Just a note, that the younger Edward Elric will either be called Edward, or mini-Ed... or younger Ed. Alphonse will just be Alphonse.  
Enjoy, and please review!

* * *

Chapter 4 - Meeting Myself

Almost three months had passed, and nothing changed much, aside from Winry's mood swings and strange cravings. The time had gone by fast, and it wasn't until Ed walked into work one morning and looked at the calendar to see it was October 4.

"October 4, huh. I guess I should brace myself for my temper." Ed muttered. He knew that Mustang and Hawkeye had gone to Central a few days before, but he had been at home helping Aron recover from a cold, which to him, seemed more like the flu.

"Shut up! I am _not_ short!"

Ed groaned. He had no idea how he was going to handle his younger self. Especially since Edward was only twelve. The younger Edward slammed the door to the office open, Mustang walking behind him, smirking wildly; and Alphonse trying to calm his brother down.

Ed walked up to his younger copy and looked down at him. He really had been short. No wonder Mustang made fun of him. At least he was taller than the bastard now.

"What?" Edward growled.

"… Who are you?" Ed asked calmly.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Mustang said, "The one in the armor is his younger brother Alphonse."

Edward sent a glare over at his new superior, "So this is where you'll be? … Can I go take a look at the library now?"

"One minute, I know you're impatient, but you'll need somewhere to stay… Do you have an extra room, Heidrich?" Mustang asked.

"Well, we're still getting ready for the baby, but I could set up a couple of cots for them if I must." Ed replied. He needed to gain his 'mini-self' trust first, at least- and this was a good opportunity.

"Alright Fullmetal, you'll be staying with the Heidrich's then," Mustang said, walking into his office.

"Go ahead to the library, I'll come get you after I'm done with work," Ed said, smiling at the two. Edward immediately grinned and took off, though Alphonse stayed longer to say thank you.

Ed sighed, grabbing some files that needed to be put in order, just as the rest of the crew came back from their break.

--

Work had ended for the day, the only ones left were Havoc, Breda, a sleeping Ed and Mustang, who was finishing up some work, which Hawkeye had threatened him in order to have him finish it. Havoc stared down at the sleeping Ed, wondering why he looked so tense, even in his sleep. Havoc sighed. "Hey Breda, we need to get Heidrich to relax more, eh?"

Breda laughed in response from where he was sitting at his desk. "Yeah, he never relaxes! Even when he's asleep!"

Havoc smirked, taking out and lighting a cigarette. "True." He was about to leave when Ed started muttering something the two of them couldn't make out. Havoc taped Ed on the shoulder, only to have him jerk upwards, shouting, "Mustang!" frantically, several times.

Mustang immediately bolted from his desk over to Ed, and grabbed his shoulder, which made him turn towards Mustang in surprise and blink, before relaxing a little. "Oh right…" He said quietly. "Sorry 'bout that, just a bad dream." Ed shook off Mustang's hand and stood up, wobbling slightly.

"Heidrich, what kind of dream has you screaming like that?!" Mustang exclaimed, glowering at Ed.

Ed smiled nervously, "It's nothing, just forget, okay? I'd better go get the Elrics…" Ed left the room quickly, making his way out of the building. Sighing, he took a silver pocket watch out of his pocket, griping it tightly.

"Dammit Mustang… You're always causing hell in my life aren't you…?"

--

Ed opened the door to his house, Edward and Alphonse waiting behind him. As the three of them walked in, Aron-wearing an apron- walked into the room from the kitchen, smiled and waved.

"Hey Brother! You should have told me that you were bringing guests! I hope we'll have enough food…" Aron said. "Oh, and I'm Aron Heidrich, Edmund younger brother."

Al did a short bow, "Nice to meet you, I'm Alphonse Elric."

"I'm Edward Elric, Al's _older_ brother."

Aron smiled, "Brings back memories, hunh, Brother?"

"Yes… memories… I was an a hot-headed idiot back then, wasn't I?" Ed said, sighing. "Where's Sara?"

"She's working on your new arm." Aron left for the kitchen, to continue making food.

"I'm gonna go get the cots-"

"We can help!" Alphonse exclaimed.

"…Alright." Ed led them downstairs, the basement looking as though a tornado had gone through it. There was boxes everywhere, most of them empty, along with Sara's tools, automail, and old things that they had bought, only to be replaced by something else. The neatest area was the desk in the corner of the room, and the shelf filled with books-mainly about alchemy- that was Ed and Aron's workspace. Edward noticed it, and sent Ed a questioning look. "Alchemy books?"

Ed chuckled. "Their mostly Aron's. He can't use alchemy, but it still interests him." He shrugged. Edward nodded.

"Ed! You're here!" Sara suddenly appeared from behind several pieces of machinery, grinning. "Your arm is done! - Oh, hello there."

"I'm Alphonse, this is my brother, Edward," Alphonse explained.

"I'm Sara, Ed's wife. Now, can I put the auto-mail on yet?"

"Slow down Sara, I need to get a room ready for these two first." Ed said, holding up his hands. "Besides, should you really be working with machinery right now?"

Sara huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I pregnant, Edmund, not physically disabled!"

"Right… We can attach the auto-mail later, just let get a room for Edward and Alphonse ready, alright?" Ed said, walking off to his right and grabbing the cot that was folded up. Alphonse walked over and picked up the one that had been lying beside it.

"Fine." Sara huffed, watching Ed and Alphonse leave, as Edward was pulling out books from the shelf. Sara almost laughed- Ed had changed in so many ways, but his interest in alchemy had not. How many times had she seen Ed doing the same thing as 'mini-Ed' was doing right now? She walked over, taping him on the shoulder. "So you're interested in alchemy too?"

Edward jerked away, caught off guard. He scrambled to put the book back on the shelf. "Yeah, I'm a state alchemist. I just haven't seen that book before."

"You can read as much as you want, you know. They won't mind." Sara explained.

"Are they… alchemists?"

Sara smiled sadly. "At one point. But now… Aron doesn't use it at all. I've seen Ed do a couple of times, for tiny things- he doesn't do it in front of Aron though."

Ed nodded, grabbing the book he'd been reading before. Sara grabbed Ed's new auto-mail arm before the two headed upstairs.

--

Ed was lying on the couch, glaring up at the ceiling, having just gotten the new auto-mail arm connected.

"I swear… it's hurt a hell of a lot more since I got rid of that piece of junk." Ed groaned.

"Well, what do you expect?!" Sara exclaimed, "Take it as a lesson to take better care of your auto-mail!"

Edward looked up from the alchemy book he had taken, and looked at Alphonse, who was sitting beside him on the second couch the Heidrich's owned. "She reminds me of Winry, don't you think?"

"Well I suppose Mrs. Heidrich is a bit…" Alphonse replied.

"She's got a worse temper than Winry, actually-" Edward was cut off by the wrench that was thrown at his head. "She throws wrenches like Winry, too."

"Um… Mr. Heidrich, how did you lose your arm?" Alphonse asked, changing the subject.

"Arm and leg, actually. It was a freak accident." Ed sighed. "And call me Ed."

Edward frowned, thinking of how similar they were, in a way. "Don't you want your limbs back?"

Ed sat up, looking at Edward. "Of course… I can live like this though. Besides, there isn't really a way to get them back, is there?"

Edward scowled. "What about the philosopher's stone?"

"I don't think… that the philosopher's stone should be wasted on me."


End file.
